Strengthening the conservation of rosewood and sandalwood species in Western Quang Tri

The rosewood tree in Mr. Ho Xuan Deng's garden, A Quan village, Lia commune, Huong Hoa is growing well, with a trunk as big as two adult arm spans - Photo: Bao Binh

Dakrong Nature Reserve has up to 1,576 species of higher plants, Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve has 1,327 species. Of these, about 200 species are considered rare and need priority protection, listed in important categories such as the Vietnam Red Book (2007), IUCN (2024) and Decree 84/2021/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree 06/2019/ND-CP dated January 22, 2019 of the Government on the management of endangered, precious and rare forest plants and animals and the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

In recent years, the Provincial Special Use Forest Management Board has coordinated with the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) to implement a project to investigate the population status and distribution of Dalbergia cochinchinensis and Pterocarpus macrocarpus. The rosewood tree has been included in the CITES protection list since 2013. This means that the trade of rosewood must comply with international regulations to ensure that it is not overexploited.

As for the rosewood species, it seems that this precious wood species is being neglected in the protection and conservation programs in Vietnam. Up to now, no specific actions have been implemented to enhance protection or initiate efforts to restore the population of this tree species.

In Lia area, Huong Hoa district, there are still many areas such as in people's gardens, on fields where the existence of long-grown rosewood trees is recorded. Through the introduction of Lia commune officials, we learned that Mr. Ho Xuan Deng's family, in A Quan village, currently owns many rare rosewood trees.

These are the rosewood trees that he dug from his farm and planted nearly 30 years ago. Many people came to buy them but he did not sell them. Or in the farm of Mr. Ho Van Com, in Ky Tang village, there are more than 60 rosewood trees growing naturally. Rosewood in the Lia area is a large fruit species, the older the tree, the redder and more durable the wood.

In an effort to conserve rosewood and rosewood in Western Quang Tri , a project to investigate the population status and distribution of rosewood and rosewood was implemented to study and find conservation measures for rosewood in known habitats of these trees in Dakrong Nature Reserve.

Support the preparation of a rosewood conservation plan with appropriate management regimes for management and monitoring of wild populations, habitat enrichment to facilitate natural regeneration. Implement a community-based seedling production and replanting program to replant rosewood species in degraded tree habitats.

The project will also strengthen and improve the capacity of management and conservation staff for Dakrong Nature Reserve, local communities and forest owners by providing support and training on forest protection, monitoring and management for long-term species conservation.

The first phase of the project focuses on conducting extensive research on the current status of the population in the area. These important research results will be widely shared with the provincial forest rangers, the Provincial Special-Use Forest Management Board and representatives of local communities living in the buffer zone of Dakrong Nature Reserve.

To enhance the capacity of conservation forces, the project will organize intensive training courses on knowledge and skills in population research as well as conservation measures for endangered plant species. Participants are rangers, technical staff of the two conservation areas and members of community forest protection groups.

In particular, the project focuses on the role of the community in conservation. Training courses on basic skills for building and operating community nurseries, handling and propagating endangered plant species, including rosewood and rosewood, and techniques for caring for seedlings and planting forests will be organized for community groups. Based on the research results, the project will conduct research and propose a detailed management and conservation plan for rosewood and rosewood in Quang Tri province.

Another important activity is the construction of a community nursery in Dakrong commune. This nursery will be the place to propagate at least 12,000 rosewood trees, serving the species population restoration planting program and contributing to the development of sustainable livelihoods for the local community.

With the effort to coordinate the implementation of the project, Director of the Provincial Special-use Forest Management Board Truong Quang Trung said that the unit has developed a detailed plan and plan for surveying and continuing to conduct large-scale research on the distribution of plant species. Regularly propagandize and mobilize people not to illegally exploit rare plant species with landscape and tourism value in many appropriate forms and contents.

To prevent acts of encroachment on forest resources, the Management Board has strengthened forest protection work, directed forces to closely coordinate with rangers of the conservation area and forces contracted to protect forests in patrolling, gathering information, and resolutely not allowing illegal exploitation to occur.

Aquarius

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tang-cuong-bao-ton-loai-go-trac-giang-huong-o-mien-tay-quang-tri-193760.htm